Hello!
I wanted the characters to look less painted and more cartoon/stylized. It's just easier on the eyes for a lot of people as the old sprites gave a lot of people an uncanny feeling.
As for the route thing, I'm not sure how else to explain it. This isn't adding more work to creating Wayfinder, it was always going to have this content and the story is naturally going to take the reader through the same path regardless.
If anything I made the story more streamlined by pulling the early options and making it one straightforward path until after the memorial scene, and the new love interest (not really new, just not revealed til now) pops up during the story in scenes that were already being made. Even the couple of times where the reader splits off with him were already planned as part of the story as a whole, you can't opt out of them as they are integral to the plot.
The only real way to summarize is just wait and see, it might make more sense after 2.0 releases later this month/early october.
Be safe~
Lavan